Revision of the genus Phyrella (Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida) with the description of a new species from Guam
Author
Michonneau, François
Author
Paulay, Gustav
text
Zootaxa
2014
2014-01-31
3760
2
101
140
journal article
5952
10.11646/zootaxa.3760.2.1
7ba5f9ac-4317-459f-9829-2975de0a42ff
1175-5326
4908324
C0E4CA6E-6D93-477E-99F6-14FFB652A2A7
Phyllophorus exigua
(Cherbonnier, 1980)
-
Thyonidiella exigua
Cherbonnier, 1980: 228–231
, fig 100 A–Q.
Holotype
: not
MNHN 1499
,
Madagascar
,
Tuléar
-
Thyonidiella exigua
:
Rowe & Richmond, 2004: 3307
Remarks.
This species is known only from the
holotype
, a small juvenile (<
9 mm
) specimen with 15 tentacles and a calcareous ring with short, unfragmented inter-radials. The structure of the calcareous ring thus suggests that it does not belong in
Phyrella
. Furthermore, the elongated plates in the body wall and the modified plates found in the podia illustrated by Cherbonnier do not coincide with the type of ossicles observed in
Phyrella
.
Rowe & Richmond (2004)
note that except for the number of tentacles (which could increase with age), it is close to
Selenkiella paradoxa
and could represent a juvenile of that species, also recorded from Tuléar. The
holotype
listed by Cherbonnier is MNHN HOL1499; however this catalog number corresponds to the type of
Havelockia exigua
Cherbonnier, 1958
from
Sierra Leone
. The
holotype
has not been located. Generic assignment of this species awaits additional material from the type locality; we provisionally assign it to
Phyllophorus
sensu lato
for nomenclatural purposes.